Catheter assemblies include lumens for the delivery of instruments and fluids to treatment areas within the body. It is sometimes necessary to seal the lumen to prevent the escape of fluids or provide a sealed environment isolated from exterior contaminants. In some examples, catheters include manually operated seal assemblies within catheter handles and manifolds. The manually operated seal assemblies are operated with mechanisms that turn nuts, close clamps, push pistons and the like to deform a seal element and close a lumen. Each of these mechanisms require a free hand or other device to seal the assembly. Further, the mechanisms require additional manual operation to disengage the seal and allow access to the lumen. Manually operated seals are particularly difficult to use during a procedure where the user's hands are dedicated to manipulating the catheter and other instruments. For instance, where the user needs to direct full attention to manipulation of a catheter including a manually operated seal the user must disengage or adjust the position of at least one hand to manipulate the seal and thereby may lose the previous orientation of a catheter already navigated or partly navigated through vasculature. Continued navigation or repositioning of the catheter may be required with possible frustration to the purpose of the procedure.
Additionally, the manual mechanisms fail to seal the lumen according to the pressure developed within the catheter assembly. Stated another way, the manually operated seal assemblies create a seal according to the mechanism used, for instance, according to the hand tightening of a nut without any assurance the seal will withstand a pressurized environment, such as fluids under pressure. These manual mechanisms may thereby be subject to complications including fluid leaks from the pressurized environment of the catheter or ingress of contaminants. Further, there is no clear indication to a user—other than an ambiguous resistance to further tightening—that a seal is formed. Without a clear indication of the status of a seal, undesirable leaking of fluids (including body fluids such as blood) and ingress of contaminants may occur without the knowledge of the user.